Sleeping Sickness
by CoffeeEyes
Summary: Cooper has always had feelings for Blaine, but how will that change or grow when the zombie apocalypse hits and they only have each other? This story DOES contain incest and a little bit of violence. If you don't like that, don't read it.
1. I'm Afraid to Sleep

_**I'm Afraid to Sleep Because of What Haunts Me**_

* * *

The beginning is the hardest part.

The weekend starts out just as they had planned. Blaine and Cooper's parents are out of town for a family reunion and the two boys decide against going to Colorado to visit their annoyingly upper-class conservative family in favor for staying at home together. So instead of going to fancy overpriced dinners in Aspen with their family, the brothers find themselves lounging around all day on Saturday, enjoying having the house to themselves.

At first, Cooper thinks that maybe, just maybe, it could be the perfect opportunity to admit his feelings for Blaine. For months – no, years – he's known that he feels for Blaine what most twenty-one year olds shouldn't feel for their little brothers. At first it was hard for him to come to terms with it. He spent almost a whole year away at school after he graduated high school, thinking that maybe the distance would make his feelings go away. When he came home for holidays and summer, though, and he was right back to where he had started, he finally accepted the fact that maybe the feelings were there to stay, and he eventually managed to embrace it. A little.

Which leads to now. Now, the two brothers are sitting side by side on their parent's couch on a summer evening, watching Green Street Hooligans (one of Blaine's favorites) and Cooper's heart is pounding with the thought of admitting his feelings for Blaine. He knows that he should be paying attention to the movie, but instead he finds himself watching his little brother as he watches it. He smiles to himself as Blaine quotes almost every line to the movie and as the night goes on he decides that maybe it can wait a little longer. Especially when Blaine turns to him, smiling, and says, "I've missed having movie nights with you, Coop."

"I have, too," Cooper replies, smiling back at him and relaxing slightly into the couch.

_Yeah, it can definitely wait. __  
_  
The truth is, he's missed out on a lot. Every time he comes home for a holiday or the summer, Blaine is even more different. More grown up. More mature. In fact, with the way that the light is hitting his face, Cooper can see a little bit of stubble on Blaine's chin, which he definitely doesn't remember from the last time he saw him.

As they watch the movie, he decides that he's missed out on too much and doesn't want to give Blaine a reason to not want to see him, so he decides to keep his mouth shut.

After a couple more movies, multiple bowls of popcorn, and even some beer that Cooper bought for the two of them, they pass out on the couch together. That is, until Cooper is suddenly and rudely awoken by the sound of a car alarm going off only a few houses down the street. When he opens his eyes, he quickly realizes that not only are the two of them asleep on the couch together, but he has his arm thrown around Blaine's middle and is practically spooning his little brother. His heart is immediately pounding in his ears at the idea of it and, before he can do anything stupid, he slowly sits up, so as not to disturb the sleeping boy. The DVD menu for I Love You, Man is playing annoyingly on loop on the TV and he finds the remote and mutes it before standing, stretching, and making his way over to the window. When he pulls the curtain to the side, he can see the car making the offending noise and rolls his eyes, hoping its owner silences it soon.

Across the street, he can see someone wandering out of their house looking dazed as they stare at the car, and notices that they leave their front door hanging wide open.

_Odd…_

He sighs and shuts the curtain just as the car alarm finally stops and makes his way back over to the couch where he grabs the remote again and turns off the DVD player in favor for late night television. He's surprised when the news is on when he switches over to cable again, and glances at the clock, which reads 12:34. He goes to change the channel but stops himself when the headline "MYSTERIOUS BITES LEAVE MANY HOSPITALIZED. CDC HAS NO COMMENT" screams at him from the bottom of the television screen. He glances at his sleeping brother before turning up the volume just slightly, curiosity killing him.

"Reports have been flooding in from all parts of the country of similar incidents. As of right now, we urge everyone to stay indoors, especially those in heavily populated areas," The anchor explains in an eerily calm voice that reminds Cooper of something he saw in a horror movie, "Again, we urge everyone to stay indoors. If you have been bitten, seek medical attention immediately."

Cooper rolls his eyes and scoffs at the TV and almost contemplates waking Blaine up because they had _just_ been joking about people overreacting about things saying that the "zombie apocalypse" is near. When he sees Blaine curled up peacefully on the couch, though, he decides it can wait till he wakes up and instead gets up to grab his phone and call their parents to make sure that everything is going okay in Colorado. He sleepily crosses the living room and walks into the kitchen, the quiet murmur of the television becoming background noise, and grabs his phone.

He's surprised when he looks down at the screen to find that he has three missed calls and three voicemails, all from his mom. Eyes narrowing in confusion, he opens up his voicemail and plays the first one, left at about nine. "Cooper, hey," Her voice sounds somewhat stressed. Worried. "I'm assuming you and Blaine are out doing something... I don't know if you've seen all of this ridiculous stuff on the news or not, but I was just calling to let you know that we're heading to the hospital. We were out and some idiot homeless man actually _bit_ your uncle. Can you believe that? Anyway, call when you get this. Love you."

Cooper glances at the television after the voicemail, somewhat worried. The horror movie fanatic side of him wants to freak out because _this is how zombie movies always start, Cooper,_ but he pushes that down. After all, zombies aren't real. That, and even if it were_ zombies_, the news anchor would have mentioned something about people turning, or _something_. Right? He shakes the thought from his head and goes on to the second voicemail. "Cooper," Her voice is shaky, "I don't want to worry you, but I needed to call. We tried to take a cab and the driver freaked out when he saw your uncle. I don't know how bad it is there, but people here are panicking because they're assuming it's the 'end of the world' or something. We're at the hospital now… Just, call me when you get this. _Please_. Be safe. Love you."

At the second voicemail, Cooper's heart is pounding. He tries to calm himself – tells himself that there's _no way_ that something like that could actually happen – but when he plays the last message, left about twenty minutes ago, all of those thoughts go out the window. "C-Cooper, _please_ answer," His mom practically sobs into the phone, "I don't know what's going on. It's – we locked ourselves in the room with your uncle. The people out there… Cooper, they're _killing_ eachother. I don't know how else to describe it… _Oh god_. Look, I love you. Tell Blaine I love him. _Pease_ call me when you get this, Cooper. Please."

Halfway through the message, Cooper stops listening because Blaine has woken up – either because the TV is too loud or because a cop car just drove by with their sirens on. Either way, he's standing in the kitchen feeling numb because of the voicemail and staring blankly at his little brother, unsure of what to say to him. Blaine rubs his eyes and looks at Cooper and as soon as he does, worry creases his face.

"Hey…" He says sleepily, standing, "You okay?"

"I- I don't…" Cooper starts, at a loss for words. He has no idea what to say because _how the hell do you tell your own brother that your parents may or may not be dead?_ And then suddenly, something inside of him clicks. He immediately dials their mother's number, ignoring Blaine's question, and listens as the phone rings again, and again, and again. The sound is almost enough to drive him insane and when it goes to voicemail, he throws his phone on the counter and rushes into the living room. He ignores Blaine, who's still staring worriedly at him, and grabs the remote to turn up to volume. It's only then that he realizes that the news feed is on loop, because the anchor is telling him to stay indoors and seek medical attention if he's been bitten. _Again_.

He feels as if he's in some _zombie_ movie, like Shawn of the Dead as the anchor tells him that the bites are _highly contagious_ and that the attackers can be killed by a blow to the head. The only difference between now and movies like Shawn of the Dead and Zombieland, is there's no comedic relief. There's no witty sidekick to make a joke and tell Cooper that they should go to the pub. That, and Cooper is actually _terrified._

"Fuck," He mutters, running a shaky hand through his hair as he sits down on the couch, staring at the TV.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Blaine asks, staring down at him, "Who did you call? And what's going on out there?" He gestures outside, where another car speeds by, sirens screaming.

Cooper just ignores him and stares at the television, his entire body going numb.

_This can't be happening. You're dreaming. You have to be._

"Cooper!" Blaine finally yells and Cooper turns to look at him, "What the hell is going on?"

"I… I don't know…" He answers honestly, staring up at Blaine and wishing he had an explanation.

"What do you mean you_ don't _know?" Blaine snaps, "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"I mean I don't _know_, Blaine!" Cooper yells back, "You watch this shit and you tell me!"

Blaine shuts up after that, either upset that Cooper just yelled at him, or distracted by the television. They both stare at it in silence, watching the news feed as it takes them outside to downtown Cleveland. The anchor on the scene looks worried as he speaks to the camera, an ambulance behind him, and it looks like paramedics are loading a very bloody looking body into the vehicle. Cooper can't help but wonder if this video was shot earlier and his mind wanders to what could have happened to the anchor and cameraman.

Blaine eventually sits down next to Cooper, watching the television intently, adrenaline pumping through his body. "But I don't… This only happens in movies," He finally stutters out, breaking the silence.

"Apparently not," Cooper replies numbly, eyes still locked on the screen.

"Have you called mom?" Blaine finally asks, and the question immediately makes Cooper's heart drop to his stomach, "Is this just Ohio, or…?"

"I uh…" He starts, tearing his eyes from the TV, trying to figure out how to form the words, "It's everywhere."

"Mom and dad?" Blaine asks, voice becoming more worried, "You talked to them, _right_?"

"No…" Cooper finally manages to get out, "Look, Blaine… I don't- I can't get ahold of them."

"They're probably just asleep," Blaine says, mostly to make himself feel better. He stands and walks to the kitchen, where his phone is sitting next to Cooper's. He picks it up and dials his mother's number despite Cooper's protests from the other room.

When she doesn't pick up, he immediately calls her back. Again. And again. Eventually, Cooper stands and quickly crosses the room to try to wrestle the phone out of Blaine's hands. "Blaine, please stop," He tries to beg, reaching for the phone, but he pulls away.

"No, she _has_ to answer. She's just asleep, but she'll hear it and answer," Blaine says, eyes wide as he calls the number yet again.

"Stop," Cooper begs again, reaching for the phone again and managing to pull it from Blaine's death grip. He hangs it up and slams it on the counter, frustrated. When he sees the hurt look in Blaine's eyes, though, he reaches out for him to wrap him in a hug.

Blaine's arms remain at his sides when Cooper's envelop him and he just shakes his head against his brother. "She's fine," He says, "She'll just call in the morning, right?" When Cooper doesn't reply, Blaine's voice becomes more frantic, "_Right? Cooper?_" He shoves away to look at his older brother for reassurance and for a split second, Cooper sees the scared little brother he knew years ago, when Blaine was still trying to find his place in the world.

"I…" He sighs, "I don't think so, Blaine."

The younger boy's eyes widen in confusion and horror and he quickly searches Cooper's face for an explanation. "W-what do you mean?"

Cooper's heart sinks when he looks down, avoiding Blaine eyes as he says, "She called earlier. Left a voicemail. It didn't sound too good…"

At Cooper's words, Blaine rips away from him and lunges for his brother's phone. Before Cooper can stop him, he's putting the phone up to his ear and listening to the last voicemail. When he can faintly hear their mother's voice saying _tell Blaine I love him_, Cooper manages to rip the phone away from him and shove it in his own pocket, leaving Blaine standing in front of him, face frozen in horror, body still. "Blaine…" He says softly, stepping forward to comfort him, but he backs up immediately.

"No. Nononono…" He mutters, staring blankly at Cooper, "She can't be- They can't… This isn't happening."

Cooper manages to grab onto Blaine's arms and pulls him into another embrace, just as he breaks down. He clutches tightly at Cooper's shirt in a way that makes the older boy's heart lurch, and he reaches out of pet the back of Blaine's head soothingly as he sobs into his shoulder. Cooper wants to cry too. He wants to break down and scream because he didn't even give his parents a proper goodbye when they left for the reunion. He just waved them out the door, glad that he had a weekend to spend with Blaine. Had he known that it might be the last time he'd see them, he wouldn't have done so.

Cooper wants to break down like Blaine does, but he can't. He needs to stay strong for his little brother.

After about fifteen minutes of silence and Blaine sniffling after they find their way back to the couch, the younger Anderson rips his eyes from the television screen and looks at Cooper. "So… What do we do?"

As if Cooper didn't already feel the weight of the world on his shoulders, things suddenly seem even worse. "I don't know…" He mumbles, looking down. "Maybe we stay here tonight… but if things don't blow over…"

"Where are we going to go?" Blaine asks, worried, "We have _nowhere_ to go."

"We'll figure that out…" Cooper assures, grabbing one of Blaine's hands, "I promise."

Without a word, Blaine suddenly stands and makes his way over to the living room window, where Cooper had drawn the curtains shut. Before the older boy can say anything, Blaine is throwing them open and staring out into their street. "Do you- do you think it's gotten here yet?"

Cooper is sure, if the police sirens are any indication, that it has, but he shrugs, "I don't know…" He stands to join Blaine at the window, studying their street. The front door of the house across from them is still ajar and Cooper swallows the lump in his throat as he wonders if their neighbors are okay.

"Look," Blaine says quietly, pointing at the yard next to them. There's a small blonde girl, she looks like a teenager, standing there with her back to them. Cooper can't quite remember her name, but he knows that she's the neighbor's kid- "Maisy," Blaine offers, as if he can read his mind, "That's totally Maisy. I wonder if she's okay…"

_Probably not._

He heads for the front door and Cooper tries to grab his wrist to stop him, but Blaine just pulls it away and throws the door open. "Maisy!" He calls, standing slightly outside the house, "Are you alright?"

As if on cue, the blonde girl's head turns slowly at Blaine's voice, quickly revealing that no, she is definitely _not_ okay. When she turns, she exposes her face, and the right side of it looks like it's been _torn off_, if that's even possible. She cocks her head to the side and stares at the brothers, who are now both standing on the front porch, mouths hanging open, then starts slowly hobbling toward their lawn, groaning. "Blaine…" Cooper warns, tugging on his brother's shirt as he watches this girl, who _should_ be dead, make her way toward them, "I think we should go inside…"

It isn't until she's in their yard that Cooper grabs Blaine by his shoulder and drags him into the house, slamming and locking the door behind them. He immediately goes to the window and shuts the blinds, then turns off one of the lights because if he's learned anything from zombie movies, they should try not to attract more attention.

"But- She…" Blaine stutters, trying to process what he just saw.

"I know…" Cooper sighs out, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"So this is really happening," Blaine says, voice flat.

"Apparently so," He replies, looking up at his little brother and wishing he had some comforting words to say to him.

Instead, the two of them spend the majority of their night in silence. Cooper turns off the news in favor for a movie – even if it's just background noise – and he makes some food for himself and Blaine when they can't fall back asleep around two in the morning. He doesn't want to say anything about it to Blaine, but if things are as bad as they seem, he's sure that they're going to lose power soon, and they only have so much food that doesn't need to be cooked or refrigerated. He doesn't mention it when they sit down at the dinner table in the middle of the night and eat the spaghetti and meatballs that he made. He decides that they need one last moment – one last meal – of normalcy if things really are going to hell.

After checking all of the windows and doors at about three in the morning (and ignoring the occasional groaning or scratching near the front door) the two brothers ascend the stairs for bed. The thought of being downstairs obviously terrifies Blaine, and Cooper doesn't object when he sleepily asks if they can sleep upstairs. When Cooper goes to his room to change into sweatpants, Blaine follows him and stands in the doorway, watching as he changes and Cooper can't help but feel his cheeks flush at the thought of his brother's eyes on him.

"Coop?" Blaine asks, voice small, breaking the silence.

"Hmm?" Cooper replies, sitting on the edge of his bed once he's in his sweats.

"Can I sleep in here?" The question is rushed and he's quick to explain himself, "I just… I really don't want to sleep alone tonight."

Cooper just smiles, though his heart is pounding at the thought of it, "Of course, B."

It isn't long before Blaine is stripped down to his boxers and laying in Cooper's bed next to him, the silence between them heavy. Finally, Cooper lets out a deep breath, "Goodnight, Blaine."

"Night," Blaine replies, then, "Coop?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Cooper's heart lurches, though he knows that Blaine doesn't mean it in the way he wants it to. He smiles to himself before replying, "I love you too."

They don't sleep much that night – Cooper only gets about two hours in total – and by eight that morning, they're downstairs, both boys too scared to open the Blinds to look outside. When they turn on the TV, the majority of the channels are just static, and when Cooper sees how much it scares Blaine, he promptly turns it off. He makes them breakfast while the power is still on – chocolate chip pancakes, Blaine's favorite – but both of them just push the majority of their food around on their plates, to stressed to eat.

The next day, the power goes out and Blaine _panics. _They're watching The Lord of the Rings that afternoon (Cooper's idea to try to calm and distract Blaine a bit) when it happens, and when it does, Blaine is immediately on his feet, trying to turn on the lamp next to the couch. When that doesn't work, he goes to the light switch, trying to turn it on and off again and again. Cooper is quick to react and pulls Blaine away from the wall and is prepared when the younger boy practically collapses in his arms. Blaine clutches onto his shirt, much like he did on the first day, as he cries and Cooper holds him close until he's spent.

"What are we going to do?" Blaine asks against Cooper's shoulder before pulling away to look up at him. Though he's seventeen, going on eighteen, he looks like a scared little kid when he searches Cooper's face for an answer.

Cooper swallows hard before choking out, "We're going to need to leave…"

"But mom… dad…" Blaine starts, "What if they…"

"Blaine," Cooper starts, trying not to be too harsh, "I don't think they're going to make it back."

Surprisingly, Blaine nods, wipes his eyes, and straightens his posture. Cooper can tell that Blaine is trying to be strong for him, but it nearly breaks his heart when he calmly says, "Alright. Well, we need to pack."

It's silent between the two boys as they grab duffel bags and suitcases from their rooms and fill them with clothes, toiletries and first aid kits. They then head downstairs to fill a couple of bags with any food and non-perishables that they can find, along with all of their bottled water, Gatorade and Vitamin Water.

Thankfully, Cooper had insisted on parking his car in the garage when their parents had left, so they quickly and quietly load their suitcases and bags into the car. When they're done, they just stand there, unsure of what to do or say. "I- Should we… I mean, do you think we should bring something for _protection_?" Blaine manages to get out, looking down because he feels stupid. It all still feels so surreal to him.

In that instant, Cooper wishes that he knew the code for their father's safe. He knows that he keeps a gun in it, but without his dad or a code, it's pointless trying to break in. Blaine is right though. They need something. Just in case. They search the garage and come up with a shovel, a baseball bat and an axe, and as they load them into the car as well, Cooper manages a smile. "You think we should hammer some nails into this?" He's holding the baseball bat up, grinning slightly at Blaine.

"I can't believe you're actually joking at a time like this," Blaine says, though he's suppressing a smile of his own. The sight gives Cooper a little hope because despite everything that has happened in the past two days, Blaine is still the same brother he knows and loves.

Cooper just chuckles and tosses the baseball bat into the car, then the two head back inside. The atmosphere is _much_ different back in the house. The second they walk inside, the air seems heavy, and Cooper knows it's because they're about to leave the one place they know and love without any destination or any clue as to how bad it _really _is out there. Cooper reassures himself though, and tells himself that it's for the best – that if they stay too long, it's a death sentence. They haven't heard sirens or even a _car_ since the first night, and they won't say it out loud, but they both have an idea why.

Either there's nobody left to save, or there's no cops left to save them.

The two quickly gather a few more things to put in the trunk of the car – some blankets, a sleeping bag, pillows and even a tent that they find in the garage – and then they find themselves standing quietly in the living room again. It feels odd, saying goodbye to the house that they both grew up in and lived in their entire lives. Though Cooper hasn't thought about it until now, it feels weird knowing that the dumb little things he used to worry about – making sure his phone is charged, checking his email, making sure he didn't miss his favorite TV show, hanging out with friends – will never be the same again, even if the world eventually returns to normal.

_Or a shell of what used to be normal._

Once the silence is killing him, Cooper turns to Blaine. "Ready?"

Blaine just quietly nods and the two make their way over to the front window to look outside for the first time since the first night. There are four, maybe five people – _zombies _ – wandering around their street from what they can see, and the sight makes Blaine visibly shudder next to him. The movement of their curtain attracts the attention of one in particular; a man that neither boy recognizes turns his head and slowly starts shuffling toward their yard. He looks relatively _normal_ despite a gaping wound on his exposed arm, and Cooper can't help but wonder if this man had a wife or kids – if this man was like his dad – before he closes the curtain and squeezes Blaine's hand reassuringly.

The two start walking toward the garage door and then Blaine is pulling away from Cooper and dashing toward the kitchen to grab their neglected phones – which had lost service – off of the counter. "Your car has an iPod charger, right?" He asks, holding up Cooper's iPhone.

Cooper nods, "Yeah."

"We could use some music," Blaine explains, shoving both phones into the messenger bag on his shoulder. He and Cooper both know that he's also bringing the phones _just in case_ they start working again. Both of them are thinking it, but neither say it as they take one last look at the house that they've grown up in before opening the garage door and leaving it behind.

As if by some miracle, Cooper had decided to fill up his tank the day before _everything_ happened, and he hopes it can get them to safety before he has to find more gas. He starts his car before he gets out to open the garage door manually, and he gives Blaine one last look. "_Ready_?"

Blaine doesn't speak, just nods, and Cooper takes it as his cue. With shaky hands, Cooper pulls the large door open, making more noise than he would have liked, gaining the attention of every mindless creature roaming the street. He sprints to the car, buckles his seatbelt, and glances one last time at Blaine before throwing it in reverse and backing quickly out of their driveway.

To his surprise, Blaine doesn't hide his face or avoid looking away from the walking corpses. Instead, he stares straight ahead out the windshield like Cooper does and nods at him again before he puts it in drive and weaves in and out of their old neighbors. As they drive, their home disappearing into the rear view mirror, Blaine reaches out to grab Cooper's hand, their fingers lacing together on the center console.

* * *

_AN: I'm SO excited about this fic, and I hope you all like it!  
Also, I just wanted to note that both the title of this and the title of the chapter are from "Sleeping Sickness" by City and Colour. Go listen to it. It's a wonderful song._


	2. Trying to Discover Where to Begin

**_Attempting to Discover Where to Begin_**

* * *

"What about Colorado?" Blaine asks, looking down at the map in his lap as they drive. They've been going for about an hour, taking back roads through less populated areas so as not to become overrun. Thankfully, the brothers only come across a few corpses here and there, and they just stumble helplessly along the side of the road as Cooper's car zooms by.

"What _about_ Colorado?" Cooper returns, his jaw tight. He doesn't want to admit it, but he wants to go there too, even if searching for their parents is useless and dangerous. He can't let Blaine know that, though. He can't give him that hope only for it to be ripped away.

"Just hear me out," Blaine starts, "I know it's far away, but we can siphon gas-"

"_You_ know how to siphon gas?" Cooper asks, turning to look at his brother. He's surprised at how normal their conversation is despite the overturned cars and chaos around them.

"That's beside the point," Blaine says, smiling slightly, "What I'm saying is, I know it's far, but it'll be safe. I'm sure we can find some guns or _something_ and we can go to the mountains… There's animals we can hunt and-"

"And mom and dad are up there?" Cooper finishes, glancing at him again.

"I know it's a lost cause…" Blaine says, looking down, "But we don't _have_ anyone else, Cooper. It's worth a shot."

It's quiet in the car as Cooper judges his next words carefully. Finally, he sighs and says, "We'll see where the road takes us."

About five or so hours into their drive, the boys reach a small town on the border of Indiana and Illinois and decide to find a place to stay instead of driving through the night – partially because Cooper is exhausted and Blaine is hungry, and partially because neither of them want to make the drive in the dark. The thought of breaking down on some unknown road where there could be _zombies_ or anything else out there terrifies both boys. So instead, they find themselves in some small, seemingly deserted town in Indiana, sitting in the car on the side of the road and trying to plan their next move.

"Well we could just eat in the car…" Cooper starts, breaking the silence between the two as they stare off down the street into the upcoming town.

"But if it's deserted, we could always go in and find some food…" Blaine counters, looking down at the map again as if it's going to give him an answer.

"But what if it's not?" Cooper asks, and immediately regrets it. Blaine glances up at him at the question, a look of worry spread across his face and the older boy instantly starts backtracking, "I mean, I'm sure we're fine _here_, I just don't want to go parading down the street only to find…" He trails off so as not to worry Blaine even more.

Surprisingly, the younger boy seems un-phased, "How about we drive through… Just really fast before the sun starts going down, and if it seems safe, we'll find a house and see if they have any food…"

Cooper just stares at him blankly for a moment before shaking his head and muttering, "You watch too many zombie movies."

"It's paying off, isn't it?" Blaine retorts, his mouth twisting up into a grin, which makes Cooper smile as well. He smacks his little brother playfully before starting the car, glancing at him, and driving slowly forward.

The town is eerily quiet as they drive through it. Their power is obviously off as well – when they reach the _one_ stoplight in town, it just sways slightly in the wind, lights off. The sight sends a thrill of terror through Cooper because it _definitely_ looks like something he's seen in a horror movie.

_All we're missing is a random horde of zombies to come out of one of these side streets_.

He shakes the thought from his head as soon as it appears and continues slowly down the street. When they reach an intersection, Blaine points to the left at a large farmhouse, situated across the street from a little white church. "What about there?"

"I thought you wanted to check out the whole town first," Cooper replies carefully, glancing at him.

Blaine just shrugs, "We haven't seen anything yet. I say we just get in and get out."

Though he doesn't want to, Cooper sighs and agrees, taking a left down the small road, aptly named Church Street. They pull off to the side of the road and take in the large farmhouse as well as what looks like a guesthouse and a rundown barn. "You _had_ to choose the creepiest looking house on this street, didn't you?" Cooper asks incredulously, turning to look at his little brother again.

Blaine smiles, "But it _is_ the largest house on the street."

He doesn't smile, though, when Cooper reaches into the backseat and hands him the baseball bat. His eyes are wide as he looks down at it, and Cooper grabs the axe for himself before speaking up, "Just in case."

"Coop…" Blaine says carefully, tearing his gaze from the bat to look at him.

"Just… pretend they're those assholes that jumped you," Blaine flinches slightly when he mentions it, but he continues, "I know you've been working out, B. Put it to good use."

Blaine laughs nervously, gripping the bat tighter, "I'll try."

Together, the brother's get out of the car, locking the doors behind them, and make their way cautiously up to the house, constantly looking around them, making sure they haven't been followed. When they reach the driveway on the other side, they notice that it's vacant. No cars are parked in front of the house, and from what they can see, there's none in the back either. "They probably left," Blaine offers as they near the front door.

"Smart people," Cooper scoffs, looking up at the creepy old white farm house. Once they're on the porch, he turns to Blaine. "Ready?"

The younger brother nods, and Cooper reaches forward, trying the front door. When it's locked, he glances at Blaine again then knocks. "Hello? Anyone in there?" When there isn't a reply after a few seconds, Cooper shrugs, hands Blaine his axe, and grins slightly before mumbling, "I've always wanted to do this…" And without warning, he kicks the door hard, like he's seen in plenty of movies, and sure enough it gives out, swinging open and hitting the wall loudly.

Blaine just rolls his eyes at his brother and hands him his weapon before following him into the dimly lit house. The floorboards creak underneath them as they make their way through what must be the living room. Cooper finds his way to the big window in the room and pulls the curtains open, allowing some light in. From what it looks like, as they take in their surroundings, the family must have fled right when things started happening. Photos are clearly taken off of their hooks on the wall, as Cooper points out, and as they make their way through the kitchen, they notice that things like utensils and even pots and pans are missing. The family had definitely had enough time to be organized about leaving, that's for sure.

"Let's make sure this whole place is safe before we start looking for supplies, okay?" Cooper says quietly, turning to look at his little brother who nods in response.

After going through the remainder of the first floor, Cooper and Blaine head up the stairs slowly, each step creaking loudly as they go. They get to the top, where Cooper points Blaine off to the right and he goes off to the left, weapon raised _just in case_. All of the doors are open upstairs – a small closet and two bedrooms on Cooper's end – save for one, at the end of Blaine's hallway. He checks the first room, which happens to be a bathroom. It's mostly empty except for a small pink step stool with a Disney princess on it, something that a little girl would have used to brush her teeth. The sight tugs at Blaine's heart and he _hopes_ that the little girl and her family made it out safely.

After the bathroom, Blaine heads for his closed door, his heart pounding. He's sure that it's nothing – they haven't heard any footsteps or groaning – and he takes a deep breath before he twists the doorknob. The first thing he notices is how bright the room is. The curtains are open, allowing light to flood into the bright pink room, and he smiles to himself at how cute it is for a moment. That is, until he sees _her_.

Standing off to the side near the shadow of the closet is a small girl with long, dark hair. She can't be more than four or five, and Blaine almost calls out to her until he loses his voice because_her neck_. There's a massive bite mark in the crook of her neck and the dried blood from the wound makes the lacy white shirt that she's wearing cling to her pale skin. Blaine lets himself wonder how a _human_ could do _that_ with their teeth, before he's brought quickly out of his thoughts because the girl is shuffling slowly out of the shadows and toward him.

He knows what he _should_ do. He should raise the bat that his brother gave him for protection and hit her, because she's not a harmless little girl anymore, but he can't. Blaine is frozen on the spot, watching as the girl lets out an animalistic snarl, hobbling forward.

"C-Cooper?" He calls, regaining his voice and backing slowly out of the room.

"What?" His brother calls back from one of the rooms, busy digging around through someone's belongings.

"Cooper!" Blaine repeats, his voice more frantic, and _that_ seems to get his attention. Suddenly, he can hear Cooper's footfalls, fast and heavy down the hallway, and if he looked, he'd see his brother nearing him, axe raised, but he can't take his eyes off of the little girl inching toward him.

It happens all at once – Cooper is suddenly in front of him, studying the small child for a split second before bringing the weapon down into the side of her head. And then the girl is dropping to the floor with a _thunk_. Blaine's hands shakily drop the bat at he stares at the corpse – the blood oozing out of the wound on her head. Cooper leans down to retrieve his axe, steadying the girl's head with his foot before pulling it out with an obscene sucking noise, and then he turns to his little brother.

And then Cooper drops his weapon as well when he sees Blaine. His eyes are wide, threatening to spill over with tears, and his hands are shaking, covering his mouth. "I-" he tries, before he can't contain it and the tears run freely down his cheeks

Cooper is there in an instant, just like he had been the other day, arms wrapping protectively around Blaine as he comforts him. "Shhh," His voice is soft against Blaine hair, "It's okay. You're okay…"

"I couldn't even-" Blaine starts, voice catching, "She was just a little girl…"

"I know…" Cooper soothes, "Her parents must have left her here…"

"I couldn't even do it," Blaine finally manages out.

"It's okay," Cooper repeats again, stroking Blaine's back, "I've got you. Don't worry, okay?"

In return, Blaine wraps his arms around Cooper's middle, pulling him tight against him. The actions pull at Cooper's heart and he strokes Blaine's hair soothingly, trying to calm him. It's a few minutes before Blaine's body stops shaking and his tears stop falling. When the younger boy does pull away slightly, arms still on Cooper's waist, he tilts his head up to look at him, eyes flicking down to his lips then back up and if Cooper didn't know any better-

_Oh my god, are we going to kiss?_

The sound of a car door slamming outside the house makes Blaine jump though and, sadly, pulls Cooper out of his thoughts. Without speaking, the two boys practically run to one of the bedrooms that had been on Cooper's end of the hall and make their way to the window. Outside, a red truck is pulled up behind Cooper's car and a girl is looking cautiously around the front yard.

"I _know_ that car," Cooper breaths, squinting his eyes as he looks out the window.

"Coop, I hate to burst your bubble, but we're in _Indiana_. Unless you have friends from here, I doubt you know that car…" Blaine counters, but Cooper's mind is already running wild because he _does_ have friends from Indiana. A girl and her boyfriend he had met in one of his English classes last semester, to be exact. He remembers them telling him that they were from Indianapolis, but there's no way that they could have gotten out of the city, let alone find him, _right_?

"Hello?" The girl with the short blonde hair calls, hands on her hips, "Hello? Is anyone here?"

And that does it for Cooper. Without a word, he's running away from the window and down the stairs, Blaine trailing behind him, quietly calling, "Wait – Cooper, what are you doing?"

"Emily!" Cooper yells, emerging from the front door. He can't see her from around the corner of the house yet, but he _knows_ it's her. It _has_ to be. When he rounds the corner, he's surprised to see his friend from English class, Emily, staring at him with dark eyes. And her gun is pointed right at him. He immediately raises his hands, "Emily, remember me? It's-"

"_Cooper_?" A boy's voice sounds from the truck, and he can see Emily's boyfriend, Derek getting out of the driver's seat, "Cooper Anderson?"

At that, the girl lowers her weapon, staring over his shoulder, where Cooper is sure Blaine is, before smiling, "Jesus Christ, I was about to shoot you."

"I'm glad you didn't," Cooper replies, smiling and stepping forward. As he does, though, she raises her gun again, using it to point at the blood splattered on Cooper's shirt and jeans.

"You bit?"

Cooper shakes his head. "No, there was this girl up there, my brother-" He turns to motion for Blaine, "Blaine found her. We uh… we had to take care of her…"

She nods understandingly, "Where are your weapons?"

"Upstairs," Cooper explains, "We were just searching the house."

"That's what we came here to do," She smiles, "Then we saw the car and couldn't believe that someone could actually be _alive_ out here."

"Well, we are," Cooper offers, smiling and shrugging.

At that point, the other people in the truck decide it's safe to come out. Emily introduces her fifteen year old sister, Ivory, then Derek's eighteen year old brother, Shane, and their friend Cody. As they all get acquainted, Derek pulls Cooper off to the side.

"Where are you guys heading?" He asks hushed, and turns to look as Blaine immediately hits it off with Emily's sister.

"Colorado, I think," Cooper replies, watching Blaine, "Our uh… our parents were out there when everything happened."

The look in Derek's eyes tells Cooper what he already knows – that there's probably no use in looking for their parents – but he nods knowingly. "Emily has family in Kansas, so we're thinking about heading out there…"

Cooper nods, "How was the city?"

Derek's eyes widen, as if that didn't tell Cooper enough, then he leans in, "I don't know how Emily's sister made it though that. People were – it was bad. Really bad… She's a tough kid."

"I'm just glad you made it out of there," Cooper says softly, still watching his own brother, "What about your parents?"

Derek just shakes his head, "They didn't make it."

"I'm sorry," Cooper offers, though he knows it's not much.

"It's alright," His friend replies, turning to look at him, "Look, if you guys want to team up… I mean, at least until we get to Kansas… I'm sure it could help all of us to have a few more bodies."

Cooper nods in agreement, "I'll talk to Blaine about it, but I think that would be for the best."

* * *

The seven of them stay in the house that night, after securing all of the doors and windows, and pushing a table up against the front door that Cooper had kicked in. They take the body of the girl outside and dig a shallow grave with the shovel Cooper brought just as the sun sets, then set up sleeping arrangements. Thankfully, Emily and Ivory offer to sleep in the girl's room, leaving Cooper and Blaine one of the other bedrooms upstairs. Derek and Shane take the other, and Cody, weary about sleeping downstairs, drags the couch up the stairs with the help of Derek to join them.

Just as they're getting ready for bed, there's a soft knock on the doorframe, and Cooper looks up to see Emily smiling back at him, holding out the gun that she had been wielding earlier. "We figured you two could use something better than a baseball bat and an axe," She offers as Cooper takes it. "We stopped by a police station on our way out here," She explains, smiling a little as she does so.

"Good idea," Cooper compliments, "Thank you Emily." And at that, she says goodnight, leaving the brothers alone in the room.

They're laying side by side in the bed not long after, staring up at the dark ceiling. "Coop?" Blaine's voice breaks the silence.

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry… About earlier…"

"What do you mean?" Cooper asks, turning to look at him though it's too dark to see.

"I didn't… I didn't mean to freeze like that…" He draws a deep breath, "I just didn't know what to do."

"It's okay," Cooper says lightly. He wants to reach down and grab Blaine's hand. He wants to, but he doesn't. His thoughts suddenly drift to how he had been feeling before everything had happened – how his biggest worry at the time was that he was in love with his little brother, and what he was going to do about it. Now, his only worry is keeping Blaine alive. "You've got me," He continues reassuringly, "I'll keep you safe."

Without warning, Blaine turns and scoots closer so their bodies are pressing together, "Thank you Cooper. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Cooper's heart pounds as he ruffles Blaine's hair-

_Instead of kissing him like he wants to_

-And he smiles into the darkness.

* * *

_This Chapter's title is from the song "Waiting..." by City and Colour._


	3. I Know You've Got Hands of Stone

**_I Know You've Got Hands of Stone_**

* * *

They stay in the farmhouse for another day, mapping out their route to Kansas and gathering supplies and gas for the cars, after finding quite a few five gallon containers in the garage. By about noon on their third day in Indiana, Cooper and Blaine get in their car and follow the red truck back down the street and out of the small town that they had made home.

Unlike Cooper and Blaine, Emily and her group are not scared to travel down the normally busy highways. They find themselves on westbound I-70 early in the day and both brothers are surprised to see how many abandoned and overturned cars are on the side of the highway. "It looks like it's been a year…" Blaine comments, staring out the window.

"Not just a few days," Cooper finishes, nodding his head in agreement. In fact, he finds it quite terrifying.

Blaine, needing a distraction, reaches down and grabs Cooper's iPhone out of the pocket of his duffel bag and plugs it into the car's speakers. He turns the volume down, so as not to make too much noise, but puts the phone on shuffle as they drive, the music giving him something new to think about. It's as if just a couple of songs – even if they're not his favorites – can make Blaine feel like he's at home again and he belts along with the songs he knows, smiling at Cooper as he does so.

Thankfully, the larger group is smart enough to avoid big cities, and after about seven hours or so of driving, they find themselves nearing a small town in Missouri. The truck in front of them slows to a stop and before Cooper can question why, Emily hops out to inform them that they're going to search for a place to stay for the night. Agreeing that it's a good idea, Cooper continues to follow them through the lush, green countryside.

"I bet there's a river nearby," Blaine comments as he stares out the window, "I brought my water filter from camping… We can get more water for the road while we're here."

"Good idea," Cooper agrees, nodding.

Blaine shuts off the music as they near the town, afraid to attract any unwanted attention, and the cars slow down, creeping along the road as they survey the area. The boys are sure that there are some _zombies_ (the word is still weird to say) around somewhere, but they're glad when they make it through the majority of the town's main street with encountering one.

That is, until they get to the middle school. They don't think anything of it, because it's the middle of the summer and there's no way anybody would be there, but as they drive slowly by, Cooper notices someone standing behind the fence, their gaze fixed on the cars – their half missing arm a dead giveaway that they're, well… dead. As they drive, they spot another, and another, and as they near the top of the hill, they see the group, about thirty – if not more – corpses gripping tight onto the chain link fence, growling and snarling at the cars as they creep slowly by.

"But…" Cooper starts, confused as to why it seems like the majority of the population of the town, not just children, are contained behind the fence. He's sure there's even more of them that he can't see, inside the school or on the other side of the building, but he tries not to think about it.

"Maybe they thought it was safe there," Blaine offers, "Either way, I'm glad they're in there and not out here…"

Cooper gulps and nods his head in agreement and is glad when they move on, leaving the school behind. It's about another twenty minutes before they come across a small house, much like the one back in Indiana, on the side of the road. It's first one they've seen in a few miles and they decide that it's a good place to start.

They inspect the property, just like they had at the other house, and when they don't find anything – no little girls upstairs – they decide that it's a good place to stay for the night and begin unloading their things into the house. Blaine and Cooper take a room to themselves again, and when Cooper finds a smaller bed than the one from the night before, he gulps. He's been able to hold back – to keep holding those feelings down – but this is pushing it. He doesn't say anything, though, as he and Blaine load their things into the room.

"I don't know about you guys," Emily is saying as the brothers join the rest of the group downstairs a few minutes later, "But I am _dying_ for a shower." Cooper nods in agreement with everyone else and runs his fingers through his oily hair. It's been almost ninety degrees every day and he feels sticky with dirt and sweat. "There was a river not far back," She continues, "I say we go down in groups and get clean. I brought some soap and stuff…"

"So did we," Cooper chimes in, glad that he had grabbed basically everything from the bathroom when they had left their house.

"Great!" Emily replies smiling, "How about me, Ivory, Derek and Shane go, and then you Blaine, and Cody and go after us?"

The boys agree and spend their time wandering around the property, collecting whatever supplies they can while the others are gone. When they return, towels from the bathroom wrapped around them and smiling, Cooper, Blaine and Cody head in the same direction.

They reach the river within five minutes, toting shampoo and soap and a couple of weapons – just in case – and without warning, Blaine practically cannonballs into the cool water. Cooper wants to be a big brother – wants to yell at him for jumping in with his clothes on because _now they're going to be soaked, Blaine_ – but he can't seem to care when his little brother emerges from the water, gray tank top clinging to his skin before he pulls it off and tosses it into the grass. "Come on in," Blaine calls playfully, splashing at Cooper and Cody, "Water's fine." Cooper and the other boy glance at eachother quickly before pulling their own shirts over their heads, kicking their jeans to the side, and joining Blaine in the water.

Cody is done quickly, and doesn't say much once they're in the water except for when he asks if they'll be okay alone. Cooper and Blaine share a look before shrugging and telling him to be careful heading back. And then they're alone, and suddenly Cooper thinks that maybe it's not the best idea. Not because of the threat of any _zombies_, but because of his little brother.

Blaine is _much_ more toned than he remembers. His stomach is tight from boxing and his _arms_… When he lifts his arms over his head to scrub the shampoo in, Cooper can't help but gape at the way his muscles flex.

_When did your baby brother turn into this?_

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Blaine quips, shaking Cooper out of his thoughts and immediately causing a blush to creep up his neck.

"Oh shut up," Cooper replies, splashing some water onto Blaine. It's not his best comeback but he's feeling flustered and Blaine seems to listen as he continues quietly rinsing the suds out of his hair.

It isn't long before the brothers are clean and their teeth are brushed, and they're making their way back to camp, towels wrapped around their waists, and Cooper has to physically stop himself from looking at Blaine as they walk side by side.

"Coop?" Blaine's voice breaks the silence between them.

"Hmm?" Cooper replies, still looking forward for fear that if he looks at him he won't be able to stop staring.

"What are the chances that we get to Colorado and find mom and dad?" His voice sounds small, like a child and Cooper is quickly reminded of a day when Blaine was just in middle school, looking down at his feet as he squeaked out _Cooper, I think I like boys... is that bad?_

"I don't know, B…" Cooper replies, looking down, "Honestly? Probably not that good."

Blaine is quiet for a second, taking it in before, "Can we still go?"

Finally, Cooper stops walking to look at him. Blaine looks scared, as if Cooper's decision will determine his entire future. He smiles slightly, "Of course."

Blaine nods, mostly to himself before he continues walking, "Good, cause if – when this blows over, I want somewhere new to start over…" The conversation ends before Cooper can open his mouth to reply because then Emily is waving at them as they approach the house, smiling and explaining how they found a fire pit and want to have a fire tonight. The conversation is over, but Cooper can't help but linger on Blaine's words, wondering what things would be like if and when they started over.

Blaine changes first, then Cooper finds his way up the stairs and into the room to find clean clothes. He pulls on a pair of clean jeans before walking over the bedroom window and looking outside. From his angle, he can see the entire backyard, which is actually pretty nice. He can also see Blaine, who is talking with Ivory and Shane as they walk around the yard, gathering branches and pieces of wood to build the fire with. He suddenly seems to sense Cooper's stare and glances up at the house, smiling when he catches his eyes before looking back down.

The look makes Cooper's heart leap and he hurries to pull his shirt over his head, then puts his shoes on, so he can head downstairs with everyone else. When he gets downstairs and into the yard, though, Emily pulls him to the side, leading him toward the cars. "We found a grill over on the other side of the house and it looks like there's even some charcoal left," She explains, "We brought a cooler with some meat and refrigerated stuff, which was probably stupid and a waste of space, but these burgers need to be cooked and I was wondering if you could do us the honors?" She opens the cooler for Cooper, smiling as nods and agrees to make something to eat.

So that's how Cooper finds himself cooking dinner for everyone else instead of spending time with Blaine, like he wants to, but he decides that it can wait _until they start over_. He hears Blaine call to him at one point, telling him that he's going to go gather firewood with Cody and Shane, and he waves the spatula over his shoulder in response, too busy cooking to turn around.

About twenty minutes later, as Cooper starts putting the food on paper plates and grabbing waters for everyone, he notices that the three boys aren't back yet. When Emily sees the worried look on his face though, she just smiles reassuringly, "They're fine. I saw them not too far away about five minutes ago. They took my gun with them, too." Cooper sighs out in relief and starts handing out food.

When Cody and Shane return without Blaine, though, he begins to panic. "Where's my brother?" He asks, striding quickly over from the grill to the two boys.

Shane shrugs, "He wandered off a few minutes ago and said he'd be right back but then we couldn't find him… That's why we came back."

"_What_?" Cooper's eyes widen comically and he drops the spatula before storming toward the woods calling Blaine.

"Cooper, not so loud," Emily warns, "We'll find him."

He just shakes his head though, and keeps walking until he's in the trees, ignoring Emily's voice. He pulls his gun from the waistband of his jeans, holding onto it tightly as he storms through the trees, heart pounding. "Blaine!" He calls, causing a couple of nearby birds to take flight loudly. When he doesn't hear anything in response, he starts walking faster, more frantically.

_There's no way he's gone. He can't be. He's the only thing you have. _

"Blaine!" Cooper yells again, his heart is loud in his ears now, practically screaming at him, and his hands are shaking as he stands alone in the forest. He feels like his entire world is crashing down.

"Blaine please tell me you're out there," He pleads, quieter. He feels his lip quiver and knows that the tears welling up in his eyes are about to spill over. All of the tears he's held back from the beginning – the ones for their parents, the ones for Blaine, the ones for _himself_ – are threatening to spill over his eyes. All it will take is one blink and-

Cooper's body spins around when he hears something moving in the thick woods behind him and he raises his gun, hands shaking. He blinks his eyes to rid himself of the tears obscuring his vision and they spill down his cheeks but he can't bring himself to care. Instead, he stares intently at the trees, the noise getting louder.

Cooper isn't sure if he feels the weight of the world lifted off of his shoulders when Blaine steps out into the clearing or if he feels incredibly stupid because here he is _crying_ when his brother is obviously fine. Blaine is holding large chunks of wood in his hands along with Cooper's axe, but when he sees the look on his brother's face, he drops it all. "Cooper?"

"What the _fuck_, Blaine?" He spits out, unaware of how _mad_ he is until Blaine speaks.

"W-what?" Blaine asks, cocking his head to the side.

It only takes a few seconds before Cooper is shoving the weapon back into the waistband of his jeans and closing the gap between him and Blaine in a few short strides. "What the fuck were you thinking?" He asks through gritted teeth.

"I-I was just getting some firewood," Blaine explains, glancing down at the pile at his feet.

"Yeah, _with_ Shane and Cody. What the fuck happened to that?"

"Woah, calm down, Coop," Blaine says holding his hands up defensively, "I figured it would be better if we split up."

"Do you know what happens to people when they split up?" Cooper asks, feeling very much like a parent scolding a little kid for running off in the grocery store, "They _die_."

At that, Blaine's eyes narrow and he seems to have had enough with Cooper yelling at him. "Well I'm alive, aren't I?"

"Yeah, this time," Cooper spits back, his face inches from Blaine's, "Don't let this shit happen again."

"Jesus, you sound just like dad," Blaine snaps.

"I'm sorry that I want you safe," Cooper returns just as fast, his heart racing.

"I _am_ safe," Blaine argues, "Calm down."

Cooper rolls his eyes and throws his hands up in the air, frustrated, "You don't get it, do you, Blaine?"

"No, obviously I don't, so why don't you explain it to me," Blaine shoots back, crossing his arms.

"You are the _only_ person I have left, Blaine. No mom, no dad. Yeah, those are my friends out there, but I don't care about _any _of them half as much as I care about you, okay? So when you wander off like that, it scares the shit out of me because I can't bear the thought of losing you, too," His words are fast, rushed, but by the look on Blaine's face, he got his point across.

"Cooper…" Blaine breaths out, his body relaxing as he realizes why he was so worked up, "I-"

Blaine doesn't have a chance to say anything else though, because suddenly Cooper is surging forward, catching his parted lips with his own. He doesn't know why he does it – maybe it's the adrenilane already pumping through his body that pushes him over the edge or maybe it's because he just practically spilled his _guts_ to his brother, but either way, they're suddenly kissing and he doesn't want it to stop.

It catches Blaine off guard at first, the all too familiar feeling of someone's lips pressed against his own, but when he realizes that they're _Cooper's_, his heart lurches. He wants to push him away, to ask _what the fuck, Cooper, _but he can't. It's not that he physically can't, but it's that he can't bring himself to do it. Something inside of him just _clicks_ when he realizes that it's Cooper that he's kissing and suddenly he's snaking his arm around his brother's middle to pull them closer. It's in that that moment that Cooper pulls his lips away, breathing heavily and staring at Blaine for a moment, looking for a disgusted reaction, a protest, _anything_, but when he doesn't receive one, he dives back in.

It doesn't take long before Blaine feels his brother's mouth parting and his tongue sliding against his lips and he opens his own mouth, allowing him in. He tastes so _Cooper_, despite the faint taste of toothpaste, and if Blaine had ever thought about what Cooper would taste like, it was everything like that and more. Cooper's tongue slides against his own as if they were made for eachother and he whimpers quietly into his mouth and _woah, that's new_.

They don't pull apart until they hear Emily and Derek's voices calling them, and when they do, Cooper is off of Blaine in an instant, staring at him with wide eyes. "Over here," He calls back over his shoulder, still staring at Blaine, who returns the look, mouth parted, still panting from the kiss.

"There you guys are…" Emily breaths, relieved as they enter the clearing.

"Yeah," Cooper replies shortly, eyes never leaving Blaine, "Lets head back."

At that, he turns on his heel to leave the forest; Blaine, Emily and Derek close behind.

* * *

That night, Blaine sits across from Cooper at the campfire, practically staring holes into him while the older boy pretends not to notice. In reality he's internally panicking because _he kissed Blaine_ and he shouldn't have. He shouldn't have, because they have _much_ more important things to be worrying about besides his fucked up feelings. Yet there he sits, staring down at the dirt in the dim light of the setting sun, pretending that he doesn't feel his little brother's gaze from across the fire.

Blaine on the other hand, is confused. He's confused because up until now, he _never _thought about Cooper that way. In fact, if a few hours ago, someone asked him what he thought about his brother, he'd say that he's an amazing brother and his best friend, but now… Now he's not sure what he'd say. He stares across the fire at Cooper, who avoids his eyes and Blaine fights the urge to stand up and get his attention – to stand and scream _why won't you look at me?_

Instead, Blaine sits quietly on his side of the fire, studying Cooper's face. The light flickers across his cheeks, making long shadows out of his eyelashes and Blaine can't help but admire the curves of his cheekbones and the way that he can see a bit of stubble on his chin from not shaving for a few days. Normally, he wouldn't be studying his brother like this, but after what happened in the woods – after that kiss – he can't help it. He's not sure if it's because he's confused about it or because _maybe_ it made him realize his _feelings_ (the thought is still odd for him to even think) for his brother.

When Cooper leaves the fire to head to bed before anybody else, Blaine waits for a few minutes, toying with the idea, before getting up and saying goodnight as well. He takes a flashlight with, lighting his way along the eerily dark house, as he follows Cooper up the stairs. When he gets to their room, he pushes the door open slightly to reveal Cooper, pulling his shirt over his head and climbing into bed, illuminated by his own flashlight.

"Coop?" Blaine breaks the silence, speaking to him for the first time since they kissed.

"Hmm?" Cooper replies, laying on his back and closing his eyes, hoping that that Blaine will leave if he wills it enough. He knows that his little brother is going to want to talk about things, and he wants to avoid that as much as possible because frankly, he has no idea what is going on in his own head. And he definitely doesn't know what to say to make things better.

_You're supposed to be protecting him. Not fucking making out with him._

Instead, Blaine doesn't push. He knows his brother well enough that if he asks about it now, he'll never get an answer, so instead he sticks with a vague question, "Are we okay?"

Cooper doesn't answer right away, but he opens his eyes to glance at his little brother, standing in the doorway. "Yeah. We're okay."

"I didn't mean to freak you out earlier," Blaine continues, trying to make him feel better. Maybe if they talk about something _other_ than the kiss, it'll be easier to get him to talk about it later.

"It's fine, Blaine, really," Cooper says shortly, looking back up at the ceiling. When the younger boy just stands there, silent, he sighs, "Come here." Blaine obeys and crosses the room to stand next to the bed. When he doesn't lay down, Cooper pats the spot next to him, hoping he'll take the hint.

He apparently does, and lays down next to his brother after slipping his shoes off and tossing his shirt across the room. The silence between them is tense, both boys trying not to be the one to break first – neither of them wanting to be the one who brings the kiss up. They don't _want_ to say anything, but when the silence is too much, Blaine finally takes a deep breath. "I'm not going to ask what happened back there," He says quietly, "But… I wouldn't mind if it happened again."

The confession takes Cooper by surprise and as much as he wishes he hadn't, he turns his head quickly to face Blaine. His flashlight is still sitting upright on the nightstand, giving him enough light to see his brother's face in the dim room. "What?" He finally manages, trying to grasp what he means.

"I mean… I know we'll have to talk about it eventually…" Blaine starts again, heart pounding. He can't believe what he's saying, but he knows it's what he's feeling. "But until then, I wouldn't mind if it happened again."

"You want me to kiss you," Cooper says. It's not a question because he _knows_ what Blaine is trying to get at now, but he needs to make sure.

"Only if you want to," Blaine replies, finally turning to look at him as well.

Cooper doesn't have to be told twice. It's only a split second after the words leave Blaine's mouth before he's leaning up on one elbow, his other hand bringing his brother's face to his own. And then they're kissing again, just as heated and needy as they were earlier. At first it's all teeth and tongues, but as they kiss it becomes slower, deeper, more passionate. When Cooper pulls Blaine's bottom lip into his mouth, the younger boy lets out a strangled moan and involuntarily thrusts into him.

Though Cooper knows they shouldn't be doing this-

_Because Blaine has no idea what he's getting himself into. You're going to wreck him…_

-he presses down onto his brother's shoulders and flips them so Blaine is on his back and he's on top of him, straddling his hips.

_Wow, this escalated quickly_.

He stares down at Blaine with hungry eyes before catching his parted lips in another kiss. Blaine immediately groans up into his mouth, unsure of where all of this is coming from, but he doesn't dare stop it. Not now.

Cooper's hands are on either side of his face, holding it as they kiss before they begin to travel downwards, lightly playing over his ribs and back up. At one point he registers – in the back of his mind – that _maybe_ they shouldn't be doing this. It's basically _the end of the world_ and the last thing he needs to be worrying about is his own emotions, but he's been waiting for this for _so_ long and when Blaine's hips buck up into his own, any thought of stopping goes right out the window.

Cooper's hands naturally find the button of Blaine's jeans and when there's no protest from the younger boy – in fact, he thrusts his hips up when he feels Cooper's hands on his jeans – he undoes them and slides them and his boxers quickly off. His hands are then immediately all over Blaine as he kisses down his neck and chest, taking everything in.

It isn't until Blaine leans up on his own accord, grabbing Cooper's own jeans by the belt loops and looking up at him that Cooper breaks the kiss to look at him. It's the first time they've had proper eye contact since they started kissing and when he looks into Blaine's half lidded eyes, it feels as though his heart triples in speed.

He doesn't even wait for Blaine to do it, and undoes his own jeans with shaky hands before pushing them and his boxers down as well, leaving them both completely naked. It only takes a second after Cooper is undressed that he's positioning himself in between Blaine's legs, as if he's belonged there his entire life.

"I'm sorry," Cooper breaths out, ragged and needy as he spits into his palm instead of using lube – because who _really_ thinks of packing lube of all things, at the end of the world – and Blaine actually _chuckles_ in response. It's dark and soft, but it's definitely a chuckle, and it sends a shiver down Cooper's spine.

He makes quick work of preparing Blaine, intoxicated by the heat around his fingers at first. It only takes a few thrusts of them before Blaine is bucking up and groaning out, "Fuck, fuck Cooper… Right there…" and Cooper has to lean forward and kiss him to silence him.

"Quiet," He whispers, his voice still completely wrecked, before kissing Blaine's neck wetly and slipping his fingers out.

He's not as prepared as Cooper would like him to be, but in a split second it doesn't matter because Blaine is whimpering his name again, thrusting his hips up into the air and he _can't take it_. He bites down on his brother's neck as he pushes in and is immediately overwhelmed by the heat.

When the dragging, burning sensation of Cooper's initial thrust in is over, Blaine's legs immediately wrap around his waist, pulling him in closer. He's not sure where it's coming from, but he knows there's nothing he wants more now, than to feel Cooper thrusting into him-

_Faster, deeper…_

"Cooper, _move_," Blaine chokes out, burying his faces into his brother's neck as he pulls slowly out before thrusting back in.

It isn't long before Cooper's hips set up an erratic pace, fucking into Blaine, who is practically turned into a quivering mess under him. The bed creaks with his thrusts and he hopes to God that nobody is downstairs yet, where they could more than likely hear it, but he can't bring himself to stop; not with the way Blaine's head is thrown back, his mouth open in a silent scream. He can feel the heat building in the pit of his stomach and bites down on Blaine's neck again, muffling his groan as his hips snap forward yet again, almost pushing him over the edge.

He's not sure when he starts pumping Blaine's cock in time with his own thrusts, but it isn't long before he feels the younger boy tightening impossibly around him before both of their chests are coated in white. The sight and the feeling and the _tightness_ pushes Cooper over the edge as well, and he lets out a strangled moan as he comes deep inside his brother before collapsing on his chest, spent.

When the older of the two regains his strength, he stands and digs around the bedroom until he can find one of the towels they used earlier to bathe, and tosses it wordlessly to his brother to clean himself off. For the first time since that afternoon when he kissed Blaine in the woods, Cooper suddenly feels a sinking feeling in his chest and can't help but think _maybe we shouldn't have done that_. It's not that he didn't want to – quite the opposite – but the thought of what must be going through Blaine's head scares him. They hadn't discussed things before jumping into it, and he can only hope that his brother hadn't felt pressured or pushed into things.

As if he can read his thoughts, Blaine sits up on his elbows, staring up at his older brother. He narrows his eyes, hoping that if he stares long enough, he can figure out what's going on inside of Cooper's head, but looks down when the other boy glances his way. He's scared to say anything – not because of what just happened – but because he doesn't want to be let down.

And _wow, that's new, too._

His heart flutters as he watches his own brother pull his boxers back on and can't help but want to stand and pull him into his arms and kiss him. It's not the first time that day he's thought it, and he's starting to wonder if it's going to become a regular thing.

And he kind of hopes it does.

"Blaine, I-" Cooper starts, finally breaking the silence between them to explain himself, but he's immediately cut off by a piercing scream outside the window. Both boys' eyes widen at the noise and before they have the chance to rush to the window, they hear a gunshot, then another. "Fuck," Cooper mutters, reaching down to pull his jeans on. He's at the bedside table in two steps, grabbing the flashlight and his gun as Blaine scurries to pull his own clothes on. Blaine is just grabbing his own flashlight when Cooper dashes out of the room and quickly down the stairs, preparing for the worst.

Sure enough, when he bursts out the door, he's met by two dead eyes staring hungrily at him and he immediately raises his weapon and fires, the close proximity of the kill splattering blood onto his naked torso. He doesn't have time to think about it before he's hopping over the lifeless body, and sprinting toward the back yard, where he can hear what he assumes is Ivory screaming. He also doesn't have time to think about the fact that it's the _second_ one he's killed without a second thought or hesitation.

The scene in the backyard is gruesome, to say the least. There are at least a dozen zombies still wandering out of the woods, groaning and making disgusting noises as they descend upon his friends. Emily is on one side of the fire, gun raised and shooting at the monsters, missing every other shot. If they were in any situation, Cooper would tease her on being an awful shot, but now is not the time. Instead, he surveys his surroundings. Ivory isn't far behind Emily, clutching Cooper's axe close to her chest as she stares wide eyed at the monsters. Derek is on the other side of the fire, shooting away into the woods where Cooper assumes there are more corpses, and for a split second, he wonders where Shane and Cody are before running toward his friends.

He's not far from Ivory when he raises his gun, pointing it at a nearby zombie and – taking a deep breath like his father taught him when they'd go shooting – pulling the trigger. The body drops immediately and Emily glances over her shoulder, "Thank God... Cooper."

Instead of replying, he leans down to Ivory, grabbing her by the shoulders, "Run inside, okay? Blaine is by the door," he hopes, "And he'll keep you safe, okay?" Ivory nods quickly before making a run for it, quickly rounding the corner of the house.

After that, it's relatively easy. Cooper takes a spot next to Emily, firing off into the trees as more corpses come, and when he runs out of ammo, he picks up the axe from the ground and begins swinging. His mind is numb as he feels the _thunk_ of his weapon hitting skulls. His mind his numb when he kills his _fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh..._

He's not sure how long it is before Emily calls his name, asking if they've gotten all of them. It's only then, when Cooper is no longer seeing red and can process things clearly. From what he can tell, there's no longer any movement in the trees. He turns around to see Emily, her eyes wide as she stares back at him. "I think that's all of them," He calls back. It's then that he notices that he still hasn't seen Cody or Shane and he strides quickly over to Emily, "The others?"

"Cody went to go to the bathroom," She says looking down, "It was stupid of us not to send him with someone. I- it was his scream we heard first…"

"Shane?" Cooper asks, and as if on cue, they hear someone coughing in the distance.

They both turn in time to see Derek dropping his weapon and running toward the trees. In an instant, he's dropping to his knees and Cooper feels his heart sink for him. He doesn't run forward like Emily does, but he follows her to where Derek is crouching, and from a far distance, his worries are confirmed when he realizes why. On the ground is Derek's little brother, clutching at what looks like a large bite wound on his neck and struggling to breathe.

Maybe it's selfish, but it isn't until he see's Shane that his thoughts go to his own brother, whom he hasn't seen since he ran down the stairs. And though he feels rude doing so, Cooper immediately picks up his axe and dashes toward the house, hoping that his brother and Ivory are safe inside. "Blaine?" He calls quietly once he's inside.

"Over here," Blaine half whispers back, and Cooper glances toward the voice. He sees Blaine's flashlight in the living room and he shakily walks towards him. Ivory is huddled up on the couch next to Blaine and he looks up at Cooper apologetically when he's within view. "I'm sorry I wasn't out there… She needed someone…"

Cooper nods in response, "I know."

"Is my sister okay?" Ivory asks suddenly, looking hopefully up at Cooper.

"Yeah," He replies, smiling slightly at her, and before he can warn her or stop her, she's standing and running out the front door.

Blaine stands as well and studies Cooper's face for a moment before speaking. "Is everyone…?"

"No," Cooper replies coldly, "Cody is… and Shane…" He can't finish his sentence before his own voice cracks and he looks down, avoiding his brother's eyes because Blaine isn't supposed to see him like this. He's not supposed to witness him breaking down like this. And Cooper doesn't _want_ to break down like this, but he can't help it.

In an instant, Blaine is wrapping his arms around Cooper and holding him, much like Cooper had done for him before, and whispering, "It's okay" to him, over and over. Cooper doesn't reply. Instead, he's silent as he hugs Blaine back, the events of the day running wild through his head.

_Kissing Blaine.  
_

_Sleeping with Blaine._

_Killing those monsters - those things that used to be people who used to have families and friends who loved them too. __People who probably loved them like he loves Blaine._

"I'm so glad you're okay," Blaine finally breaths out, "I-I don't know what I'd do without you."

* * *

_The title of this chapter is from the song "Stonehands" by Balance and Composure. (the acoustic version, because the acoustic version is beautiful.) You should go listen to it._


	4. You're the Only One Who Means Anything

_**You're the Only One Who Means Anything to Me**_

* * *

Nobody sleeps that night.

Cooper doesn't watch, but he hears Derek's cries when he loses Shane, and he hears Emily telling him that they're going to have to "take care" of him. He hears when Derek shakily tells his brother's lifeless body that he loves him before the sound of one final gunshot rings out in the back yard.

Shortly after, Cooper and Blaine help Emily barricade their front door with a couch (just in case) and make sure that all of the windows are safely secured. They agree that they'll leave first thing in the morning – that their gunshots have probably attracted _more_ and that it's not safe to stay long.

Cooper and Blaine lay side by side in bed that night, not touching and not speaking. It's as if nothing happened between them, and it almost drives both boys insane. Blaine wants to ask Cooper about it – wants to ask him what exactly happened and what it is he wants out of things – but he knows it isn't the right time. The problem is, he doesn't know when _will_ be the right time. Things don't really seem like they're going to be dying down soon, and he wonders if he'll _ever_ get a chance to properly talk to him.

And Cooper _wants_ to talk to Blaine about it – wants to spill his guts to his brother – but he knows he shouldn't. Blaine already has enough to worry about and he doesn't want to add his feelings on top of everything. Cooper decides that it can wait. As if he didn't already feel as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders…

So instead of sleeping and instead of talking, the boys listen to the hushed conversation between Emily and Derek in the next room, as she assures him quietly that Shane's death isn't his fault. When both boys feel bad for eavesdropping (when Derek starts crying again) they both try to cover their ears and fall asleep. Instead, they both successfully end up just thinking about one another, their backs turned to eachother.

Everything seems surreal the next morning.

Cooper and Blaine change and leave the bedroom wordlessly, taking their bags out to their car before anyone else and end up sitting on the couch downstairs in silence. And the silence is heavy. They've both spent hours wanting to talk – wanting to say _anything_ – but they don't. And now, they're sitting side by side, still holding their tongues.

It isn't until Blaine opens his mouth to speak – after a good twenty minutes of silence – that Emily walks down the stairs, looking somber. "Morning," She says quietly, breaking the silence.

"Morning," Cooper and Blaine both echo back.

It's quiet for a moment as she stands in the living room with them before she clears her throat. "Would uh- Would you two mind helping me dig a uh… a grave?"

Cooper can tell that the words are not only foreign to her, but they also hurt to say. He nods his head quickly. "Yeah. Of course."

"Thank you," She replies quietly, trying to smile at the two of them.

"What about Cody?" Blaine asks, looking between the two of them.

"We uh… We never found him," Cooper fills him in. During the aftermath the night before, he and Emily went searching for Cody in the direction that he wandered off into, but they never found a body, or any traces of an escape.

Derek still isn't up when they dig the shallow hole, and he doesn't come out when Emily asks him to, so they bury his brother without him late that morning, making the grave with a pile of stones and some flowers that Ivory picks. "Should we…?" Emily asks afterward, taking in the backyard, which is littered with corpses, and obviously wondering if they should _dispose_ of them.

Cooper follows her gaze before shrugging, "Fuck em."

"Are you sure?" Emily looks worried, as if they're going to get up and attack again at any moment.

"Yeah. Besides, we're leaving soon, anyway," He assures.

"The sooner the better," She agrees, before leading Ivory inside to collect their things.

Cooper and Blaine, however, remain outside, standing together awkwardly after the two girls go inside. After a couple of silent minutes, Blaine can't keep his mouth shut any longer.

"Should we talk about last night?" He asks, avoiding the small talk and getting right to the point. He doesn't want to scare Cooper off, but at the same time, he needs to know what is going on between them. After a sleepless night of laying in bed, replaying the events of their night over and over, Blaine still can't get it out of his head. He can't stop thinking of his brother, naked and panting over him, kissing his neck, his chest, his _lips._ He feels wrong thinking about it, but every time he does, it makes his heart flutter, and he aches to know if it makes Cooper feel the same way.

"What's there to talk about?" Cooper asks, avoiding the question and looking out over the scattered bodies all over the lawn again, instead of meeting Blaine's eyes. He doesn't want to talk about it. He doesn't want to have to explain his feelings for his brother. He decides that yesterday was a moment of weakness, and it won't happen again.

"You know…" Blaine says, looking down at his feet and feeling stupid, "What happened between us…"

It breaks Cooper's heart, knowing that Blaine is confused and wants answers, but he figures it's best if they don't discuss it. Not now, anyway. "There's nothing to talk about…" Cooper says coldly, though it kills him to do so, and at that he stands and walks inside to help the others pack. He knows it's dysfunctional, and he knows it's not fair – especially to Blaine – but he can't bring himself to talk about it. Not yet.

The group leaves for Kansas early that afternoon, after Derek's teary goodbye to his brother. "We're thinking it's about a seven or eight hour drive from here. Is that okay with you two?" Emily asks, leaning on the window of Cooper's car as they're about to leave.

"Fine with us," Cooper replies, though he _is_ pretty tired from his sleepless night.

"I can drive in a bit, if you want," Blaine assures after Emily walks away, trying to make the conversation light, or at least bearable. When Cooper just grunts in response, though, it sort of sets him off. He knows that Cooper isn't one to want to talk about his feelings, but the least he could do is have an innocent conversation. He wants to yell at him – to tell his brother to _just talk to him_ – but he keeps his mouth shut.

That is, until they're about to pull away from the house. Cooper starts the car, and as he does, he reaches down near Blaine's feet to grab his iPhone to play some music. When he does, though, Blaine immediately grabs the messenger bag and holds it out of his brother's reach. Cooper glances up at him, eyes narrowed. "Can I get my phone?" He asks as nicely as he can, with everything that's going on in his mind.

"Yeah," Blaine retorts, trying to sound tough, "_After_ we talk."

Cooper just sighs loudly, "Blaine, there's nothing to talk about."

"Bullshit," Blaine replies, staring intently at Cooper. Their gaze is only interrupted by Emily starting the truck and pulling forward. Cooper puts the car in drive and pulls out behind her, hoping that the conversation is over. "Cooper…" Blaine starts again, as soon as they're going a consistent speed behind the truck a few minutes later, though, proving him wrong.

"Blaine…" Cooper warns, begging him not to get into it.

"No," Blaine counters, "I know that you don't want to talk about it. And hell, I don't want to either, but we need to. And that's that."

"No we don't," Cooper argues, his eyes fixed on the road, "Not now."

"Why not?" Blaine asks, and he can feel his chest constricting. He can't help but note the new feeling – especially for his brother.

"_Because_," Cooper replies, exasperated, "We already have enough on our plates. We don't need something else to worry about. _Not now_."

Blaine is just silent in response, which surprises Cooper, because he was expecting a comeback. Instead, he stares ahead for a moment before pulling the phone out of his messenger bag and handing it to him. Cooper turns on his favorite Thrice album and turns the music up, hoping that the noise will drown out his thoughts.

Blaine doesn't give him much time, though, and is turning down the music after a couple of songs. "When?" He asks, continuing their conversation.

"What are you talking about?" Cooper questions, glancing at him again.

"When are we going to talk about it?" He clarifies for his brother, who sighs in response.

"_Not now_, Blaine."

And that's the end of their discussion.

* * *

Halfway through the drive, Cooper and Blaine switch spots so Cooper can sleep a little bit, and after that, it isn't long before they're nearing Emily's aunt's house in Kansas. If they thought that Ohio or Indiana looked bad, Kansas was a whole different story. The already barren land is littered in cars, trash, clothes and blood. As they drive down the main street in town, they come across a few corpses, wandering around the lifeless street mindlessly. They turn their heads as they hear the cars, but are nowhere near fast enough to catch them, and seem to give up. The streets are dead and Blaine can't help but note how they look like something out of a western movie. _A western movie with zombies_.

He wakes Cooper about halfway through town, letting him know that they're almost there, and then the silence between them is unbearable again.

"What do you think the chances are that her family is even alive?" Cooper asks, breaking the silence and looking out the window.

"Probably not that good," Blaine replies, still staring straight ahead, "But do you want to be the one to tell her that after what happened to Shane last night?" Cooper doesn't say anything in response. Instead, he just keeps staring out the window at the post-apocalyptic scene outside the car.

Despite what both of the boys think, though, when they pull up, there are two cars parked outside of the house that is supposedly Emily's aunt's place. Cooper and Blaine are just getting out of their own car when the blonde girl jumps out of the truck and practically sprints for the door. She knocks a few times – which has become foreign to everyone else – and when the door swings open after a few moments, she basically flings herself onto the nice looking woman in front of her.

After Emily's aunt and uncle inspect everyone for cuts or bites, they allow the rest of the group into their house with open arms. Her aunt, Michelle, explains to them how her, her husband, and their two children survived everything. Despite the fact that it's an interesting story, though, Cooper and Blaine's minds are both elsewhere, worrying about what their next move is going to be.

Thankfully, they're on the same page when they go to bed that night.

"Coop?" Blaine asks, voice small again, and Cooper hopes that he's not trying to bring the kiss – or the _sex_ – up again.

"Yeah?" Cooper asks, looking up at the ceiling. They're both laying together on the pull out bed in the living room, an awkward space between them.

"What are we going to do?" He asks quietly, "I mean… are we staying here?"

Though Cooper knows it would be a good idea if they _did_ stay, he's also dying to get to Colorado – probably as much as Blaine is. He also knows it's a lost cause, looking for their parents, but that doesn't make him want to give up. "Tonight, yeah," He replies, trying to figure out the right thing to say.

"Well _obviously_," Blaine retorts, and though Cooper can't see him, he knows there's a small smile playing across his lips. "But I mean after tonight."

"Well what do _you_ want?" Cooper asks. It's a fair question. He doesn't want to make all of the decisions, especially if Blaine wants to stay in Kansas.

_I want you_, Blaine's head screams at him, but he pushes the thought down. _Not now_. He clears his throat, "I want to go to Colorado." He knows very well the dangers of the two of them venturing into a new state alone, but he decides that the risk is worth it. Besides, he can't _stand_ Kansas.

"Then we're going to Colorado," Cooper confirms, rolling over onto his side, "Goodnight, B."

They wake up the next morning, tangled in eachother, and immediately separate when they realize it. They both quickly sit up to find Emily's aunt making breakfast by candle light in the kitchen and she smiles warmly at both of them. Both boys are nervous to tell their group that they're going to be leaving, but they know it has to be done. So when everyone else wakes up and is sitting around the table later that morning, Cooper speaks up.

"Blaine and I are going to be leaving today."

"What?" Emily's head spins around to look at him, "But why?"

"You know you're more than welcome here," Michelle adds, smiling, "You're not intruding at all."

"I know," Cooper says, somber, "And we really appreciate the hospitality… But Blaine and I sort of have somewhere to be…" At that, he reaches under the table to grip Blaine's hand, causing him to jump slightly at the unexpected contact.

"Colorado…" Emily breaths, "I don't want to sound harsh, Cooper, but you know there's not a very good chance that they made it…"

"I know," Cooper replies again, "But seeing you find your family gave us a little bit of hope. We have to try, at least." And at that, the conversation is over. By the looks that his friends give eachother from across the table, Cooper knows that they understand, even if they think he's being foolish.

That afternoon, Cooper and Blaine pack their things – along with some food and supplies that Michelle could spare – into their car, ready to leave. "Good luck," Emily breaths as she hugs Cooper goodbye, "If you decide to come back, you know where we are."

Cooper nods, "I do."

"If we leave, I promise I'll leave a note for you, just in case, okay?" She continues, pulling away to study his face.

He nods again, "Thank you."

After a few more teary goodbyes, the brothers climb in their car and pull away from the house, leaving it and their friends in the distance. And as they drive away, Cooper reaches over the center console to grab Blaine's hand reassuringly, like he had when they left their own home almost a week ago.

* * *

The scenery changes as they drive, from the barren flatlands of Kansas to the slightly less barren flatlands of eastern Colorado. The only reason they know that they're in a new state is because there's a giant brown sign on the right hand side of the road, reading "WELCOME TO COLORFUL COLORADO" in big letters.

"Not very Colorful, is it?" Cooper jokes as they drive by, earning a small chuckle from Blaine.

They pull off the highway at a rest stop, not long after entering Colorado, where Blaine teaches Cooper how to siphon gas, "for future reference" as he puts it. Thankfully, the rest stop is deserted. If there were any zombies there, they're long gone by now, making it easy for the boys to get in and get out, after stealing some snacks from the gas station.

"You realize we're going to have to go through some reasonably big cities to get to the mountains, right?" Blaine asks, glancing down at his map as they speed down the highway.

"I do," Cooper replies calmly, "We'll just have to be quick, won't we?"

Blaine sighs, "Yeah I guess."

"Besides," Cooper assures, "Emily gave me a gun for you, as well as plenty of ammo. We'll be okay."

"But I don't know how to shoot," Blaine counters, suddenly wishing that he had gone shooting with his brother and father when they had offered.

"I'll teach you," Cooper replies simply, smiling over at him before turning his gaze back onto the open road.

The boys near Denver after about five hours of driving, and thanks to Cooper's wonderful sense of direction, they manage to skirt around the capital and the larger cities surrounding it. Regardless, they still run into quite a few monsters along the way. Cooper manages to avoid hitting most of them as they swerve around the ones on the road and at one point, he reaches into the back seat and hands the baseball bat to Blaine, instructing him to hit them as they drive by.

"Think of it as a game," He insists, swerving sharply to the right to avoid hitting one.

"I'm not going to play a game that involves killing people," Blaine counters, shaking his head at his brother.

"You're not killing them if they're already dead," Cooper jokes back, rolling down his window. He knows he shouldn't joke about it – that he should try to maintain a _little_ bit of sanity – but it makes him feel better. After twenty minutes or so of driving through the city, Blaine finally gives in and sticks the bat out the window, hitting one of them square in the face, causing Cooper to throw his head back, laughing loudly. Blaine wants to be serious – wants to be careful – but he can't help but smile back and laugh with his brother when he sees his face.

After another forty-five minutes of driving, the brothers reach the mountains. And because Cooper is well… Cooper, he stops the car dead in the middle of the highway before they begin their ascent into The Rockies, looking over at Blaine. "This is it," He says dramatically, "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Blaine replies simply, and at that, Cooper hits the gas again, and the car begins to climb up the highway, leaving the cities and everything they know behind.

Fences is playing quietly in the car as they drive, windows down, up the winding mountain road, and Blaine can't help but think it's the perfect driving music. Under different circumstances, he'd remind himself to put the song on a _driving_ playlist for the summer. And then he looks at Cooper, and his heart practically skips a beat. The wind is making his hair curl lightly around his face as they drive, and his mouth his curved up into a smile as he sings along with the words. Blaine can feel his heart swell at the sight of his brother, smiling and singing along as if nothing is wrong – as if the world hasn't ended – and he's pretty sure that is the point that he figures it out.

He loves his brother. And he can only hope that when they do talk, Cooper feels the same way, because if _anything _in this world is going to keep him hoping or give him a reason to fight and to _live_, it's going to be his brother.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Cooper comments, and Blaine _knows_ that he's talking about the high rock walls and the pine trees and the river running along next to the highway, but he can't help but think about anything besides _him_.

"Yeah, it is," He replies, his voice far away as he stares at his brother. Cooper tears his eyes away from the road to smile at him, and Blaine feels the ache in his chest all over again.

The drive is gorgeous, and if Blaine had a camera – or if he had any use for pictures now – he'd be begging Cooper to pull over every ten minutes so he could snap a quick picture of the gorgeous scenery. Instead, he just stares out the window, amazed by the beauty.

Vail is difficult to get through. At one point, the brothers have to stop the car to get out and push abandoned vehicles out of the way, narrowly escaping a couple of zombies, which Blaine kills without a second thought, which is new. The town is eerie – cars stopped on the highway and side streets, from the people who tried to escape and didn't make it. There's blood on the road near some of the cars as they weave around them, and Blaine has to stop himself from looking down at it and feeling bad for the people who obviously didn't make it.

The sun is close to setting when they leave Vail and they decide to take a left onto a smaller road, deciding that if they don't find a house to stay in, they can set up a tent overnight. After only five minutes of driving, the atmosphere changes completely. There's no death or destruction on the quiet mountain road, like there had been in the city. Instead it's quiet. Peaceful. It's the first time that both boys feel like they can relax since everything began.

Another fifteen minutes of driving, and the boys start to approach a large bridge, which looks like it will them over a canyon and up another windy road. "Wow," Blaine breaths, taking in the view. As they round the corner, they can see _everything._ To their left and right are smaller roads that take them down the side of the mountain and underneath the bridge. In front of them and across the bridge, is the vast expanse of the Rocky Mountains. "It's gorgeous."

Cooper nods in agreement, wishing that it hadn't taken the end of the world for them to find something to beautiful and untouched. He drives slowly onto the bridge, enjoying the view with his brother, when suddenly he realizes _this is it._

_This is the moment you've been waiting for._

There's no threat of imminent danger ahead of them, nobody chasing them from behind. It's just Cooper and Blaine, driving across a bridge in the quiet mountains, the sun setting to their left. If it weren't for the bags full of their belongings in the backseat and the gun within his reach, it might even feel like an innocent _road trip. _He knows it's the moment that he's been waiting for – an opportunity to tell Blaine how he really feels without having to worry about protecting him. It'll be a moment of normalcy. Kind of.

Without warning, Cooper stops the car and kills the engine, earning an odd look from Blaine, though he doesn't protest.

His heart is pounding as he gets out of the car and walks over to the edge of the guardrail, taking in the scene before him and trying to clear his mind before they _talk_. He hears the car door shut behind him after a moment, and then Blaine is at his side, leaning against the metal as well. "You think they're out there somewhere?" Blaine asks softly, staring into the sunset.

Cooper knows he's talking about their parents and he swallows the lump in his throat before speaking. "I hope so."

"You know…" Blaine starts, careful not to say the wrong thing, "We still have eachother. If we don't find them, I mean."

"Blaine…" Cooper starts, causing his little brother to backtrack.

"I'm sorry," He starts, backing away, "I know I shouldn't have said anything, it's just… It's eating me up inside, Cooper. I know this should feel wrong, but it doesn't and-"

"_Blaine_," Cooper repeats, cutting him off, "Listen to me." At that, Blaine shuts his mouth and watches Cooper warily, waiting for him to go on. The older Anderson lets out a deep breath and pats the metal of the guardrail, signaling for Blaine to join him again. When they're side by side once again, Cooper finally speaks up. "I don't know any other way to say this," He starts, voice shaky because he's _actually_ about to tell Blaine how he really feels, "So I guess I'll just get to the point… I love you, Blaine."

Blaine is silent, not because he's disgusted or because he's upset, but because he's at a loss for words. "I know this is really hard. And really confusing," Cooper continues, trying to explain himself, "And how I went about telling you – and _showing_ you – the other day, was stupid of me. And that's why I didn't want to talk about it. We already had so much to worry about… I didn't want to make my problems come first. The most important thing to me is that you're safe-"

"And I am," Blaine interjects, speaking for the first time since Cooper's admission.

"And you are," Cooper repeats, "Which is why I'm telling you this now." He sighs, running his hand through his hair, "Look, Blaine, I don't know if we'll _ever _find mom and dad, but for some reason, that doesn't upset me that much, because I know I'll still have you. As long as I have you, as a brother or a _lover_ or whatever, I'll be happy. You're the only one who means _anything_ to me, Blaine."

Blaine stares at Cooper, long after he's done speaking, just watching, waiting, thinking. Finally, his hand comes to rest over Coopers on the guard rail, and he smiles. "I love you too, Coop," He says simply, "I think I always, have…"

Cooper smiles in return and he can feel the tears forming in his eyes as he half smiles and says, "Why doesn't this feel as fucked up as it is?"

At that Blaine chuckles, moving closer to his brother. "At this point, I really don't care if it's fucked up," He smiles, "The world has kind of gone to shit… But I have you, and that's all that matters."

"God, I love you," Cooper says again, his voice more sure the second time, now that he knows that Blaine feels the same.

"I love you too," Blaine replies, squeezing his hand, "So... can I kiss you now, or what?"

And at that, Cooper surges forward, catching Blaine's lips in a soft kiss. And in that moment, nothing else matters.

* * *

_Chapter title is from the song "Daedalus" by Thrice. You should seriously go listen to it._  
_Also, thank you to EVERYONE who read this. It was seriously one of my favorite fics to write and I'm so glad you enjoy it! (There MIGHT be a sequel in the future, so keep your eyes open!)_


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